The Confidant Mission-Driven Leaders Trust Because Everything is at Stake

I help leaders eliminate the hidden problems that cap their impact and income.

What made you realize there was something missing that other approaches weren't addressing?

I was at a startup where everyone was smart, kind, and capable, but we still had miscommunications and things falling through the cracks. We were doing everything "right" - all the culture work, the New York Times bestseller playbook stuff. But something was still missing.

Why weren't we doing better as a team? That question wouldn't leave me alone.

But you'd been watching this pattern for longer than just that one startup, right?

Oh absolutely. I've been around Founders since the '90s, watching their careers, especially those trying to change the world with real missions. I've seen the toll this work takes on them.

I don't just mean reading about them. I'm talking about going to lunch with them, knowing them in life, working with them closely on projects.

The stress. The crushing amount of decisions they have to make every day. The impossible balance of needing to know everything about their business while it grows beyond what any one person can oversee. Everyone's watching them under a microscope. They need to be strong but also kind. Clear but also willing to take chances on things they can't know for certain.

It's honestly a feat of human ability to do what they do. And I kept watching these incredible people suffer through it.

So how did you figure out what was actually missing?

I went looking in places most business consultants don't go - ancient wisdom traditions, group dynamics research, 27 years of improv coaching. What I found was that there are invisible currents running underneath all the strategies and systems. Hidden patterns that create the same problems over and over, no matter what surface-level fixes you try.

Can you give an example of how you see things differently?

When a client tells me about two people on their team who keep clashing, I can usually pinpoint what's actually happening - the real dynamic driving the conflict that has nothing to do with what they're arguing about. Everyone's different, but my unique combination of skills means I can see the angle to take with each situation.
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But the same goes for the Founder, too. When they talk about their issue I'll see patterns behind it. The more I get to know them the more I can uncover unconscious challenges that are thwarting them daily. I teach them to step out of those patterns and then they feel better, of course, but the success results appear as well.

What results do you care about most?

The revenue increases and efficiency gains are definitely celebrations. But what I really love seeing is when Founders can finally take vacation and actually turn their phone off. When teams that couldn't get along after years of trying suddenly start working together. When everything that used to end up back on the Founder's desk gets handled effectively by someone else.

You'll even see the changes reflected back at home. Their whole lives improve.

The Founders I work with get to have that hard-won balance of incredible, news-worthy business success with personal peace and satisfaction because their own lives are also good. It's a win-win for everyone - the world and them.

How do you handle skepticism about your approach?

I do micro-changes. If someone's skeptical, I say "here's something small to try." The results speak for themselves. No need to prove anything beyond that.

Usually my clients come from referrals or someone who reads about me and knows I'm the one to talk to. Many Founders have an almost superhero-like gut instinct. That's one of the reasons they are so successful.

Why is this work more crucial now than it was in the '90s?

Back then we had phone calls, letters, and photocopies. Cycles were longer. That had its own challenges, but the firehose of fast information, fast decisions, and constant change that Founders wrangle today is almost unfathomable.

And it keeps getting faster.

The old approaches weren't built for this pace and complexity.

What drives you personally in this work?

I see the real challenges, the human cost of leadership at this level. These are incredible people trying to change the world, and I watched them suffer for decades.

I care deeply about my clients' success, but I can't do the work for them. What I can do is stay present without getting over-involved - which is actually a lot of work when you're tracking so many hidden patterns.
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I'm truly thrilled, deeply pleased that I found a way to help them.

​I work with select Founders. If you're ready to eliminate the patterns that keep creating the same problems, let's talk.